Quoting Max Baucus – who railed openly against Democrat grandstanding on BP, “I just hope…we know what the heck it is we’re doing”

Baucus was not finished:

“It’s starting to bother me that last year, roughly, we don’t legislate very much. I’m speaking generally, and I’m speaking only from my own personal experience with the Finance Committee. We don’t have any mark-ups any more. We don’t burrow down and ask tough questions of witnesses, trying to establish proper policy, near as much as we used to. Rather, a lot of amendments and bills are more in the nature of message amendments and bills. And I find it disconcerting.”

Boxer’s form of leadership – my way or the highway, thou shalt not debate.

Republican James Inhofe nailed boxer to the wall further:

But the irony is that if the Boxer substitute amendments become law, drilling in the Gulf will dry up, and the only players left standing will be BP and China’s National Offshore Oil Corporation. In other words, Big Oil.

Let’s set aside the liability caps for a moment: I can assure you that Boxer substitute #2, by itself, will push smaller producers out of the Gulf, as it creates so many hurdles, so many unreasonable obstacles, that safety-the ostensible purpose behind this amendment-won’t be an issue, because drilling will be so costly that few will be able to afford it. So who ultimately benefits? That’s right, Big Oil.

She says companies outsource jobs because of excessive tax rates and regulation in the U.S., not because of lower labor costs overseas.

Now that, folks is the dirty little secret Barbara Boxer doesn’t want to let get out. The Welfare state is financed on the backs of businesses and the labor unions and enviros have gotten their way with over-regulation for years.

Fiorina was highly critical of the three-year, $862 billion economic stimulus package that Congress passed last year, a measure that Fiorina’s opponent, three-term Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, supported. She said California’s unemployment rate, which has remained above 12 percent for months, indicates the proposal hasn’t worked.

Given the fact that Reuters has an historic bias and typically understates Republican support – Barbara Boxer has to be sweating some more.

She is probably clinging to her Global Warming and economic stimulus as we speak.

Apparently – even on the “Left Coast” of California where welfare, open borders and mixed marriage are supposed to be the most important things on the minds of voters – Californians are apparently waking up to the realization that their Senator is ineffective and may even be (gasp) losing her grip.

In Villaraigosa’s own words, “we’re doing furloughs and layoffs, we’re doing everything we can, including early retirement, to reduce the size of our payroll.”

OK – layoffs must only be ok when you’re forced to do so and your back is up against a wall.

HP today is a market leader because Carly Fiorina was not afraid to ruffle feathers and make the tough decisions.

Those decisions were brought about because of the psychotic decisions of an out-of-control bureaucracy and Government that seeks to suck the life out of businesses. Many companies are and were left with no choice but to cut and move operations overseas to get away from onerous regulations or prevailing wage garbarge.

Even in the depression we are in – more and more job-killer bills are being passed by Democrats who serve their Labor Union and Enviro Masters.

Here’s the deal – Carly Fiorina bit the bullet and did what needed to be done at HP. The reason a lot of HP workers are annoyed with Carly is because she cut off the gravy train a lot of them had with unsustainable pay and benefits.

This is the same sort of gravy train Labor Unions are able to filch out of taxpayers. Today, Government jobs are the best to have – that makes me sick and angry.

“Every business in this state knows that there are times when you face a terrible decision: do you lay off some to save the enterprise?” she said. “Barbara Boxer doesn’t understand it; she can’t possibly understand it.”

Boxer is from the same mentality that has driven California in to insurmountable debt – Public Employee Unions First, everyone else can go to hell.

I don’t think Barbara Boxer has a choice. She is already trailing in some polls and to trail this early as an incumbent is a nightmare scenario.

Which is why Barbara Boxer clings to her stimulus and global warming. (Those are to the freaked-out left what Guns and Religion are to the rest of America)

Anyhow – some snippets follow from the Fiorina Campaign about the subject of debates:

Yesterday Team Boxer and Team Carly met for the first time to discuss debates. As you know Carly is willing to debate Boxer pretty much anywhere, anytime. As a starting point Carly’s debate negotiation team comprised of political veterans Ken Khachigian and Beth Miller proposed a minimum debate schedule of five debates in local markets around the state in addition to two nationally televised debates. Team Boxer didn’t propose anything and said they would take our ideas back to Boxer’s camp. Below is the follow-up email Beth sent over to Dan and Ace that gives you the full rundown. We’ll keep you in the loop as this process develops!

I deleted the follow-up email team Carly sent to team Boxer… but you get the drift. Boxer will try to avoid as long as she can.